Saharanpur: Villagers wake up to find ‘Jai Bhim’ written on their walls

Sarsawan SHO Yashpal Singh said the graffiti was later whitewashed. (Express Photo)

Thakur-dominated Raipur village in Saharanpur district was tense on Sunday after the words “Jai Bheem” were found written with blue chalk on the walls of over a dozen houses and shops. Senior police officers and district administration officials rushed to the spot. Neighbouring villages had seen large-scale caste violence last year.

“The writings were discovered in the morning. The villagers were angry. Since we did not want the matter to be politicised, we decided not to lodge a police complaint,” said village head Dinesh Rana, a Thakur. “We have no idea who is behind the mischief. Around three months ago, ‘Jai Shree Ram’ was found written on the walls of three houses of Dalit families. They too had decided not to lodge a police complaint.”

Sarsawan police station house officer Yashpal Singh said the graffiti was later whitewashed. “Since we did not receive a complaint, we did not lodged an FIR into the matter. However, we have deployed a strong police force in the area.”

The village is around 20 kilometres from Ramnagar village where Bhim Army Saharanpur district president Kamal Walia’s brother Sachin died after suffering a bullet injury on Wednesday.

Among those named in the case is Deepak Rana, a resident of Raipur village who, according to village head Dinesh Rana, has been absconding since then. Police are yet to establish whether he was murdered.

Circle Officer (Saharanpur city) Mukesh Chand Mishra, told The Indian Express on Monday: “We have not found any evidence yet suggesting that Sachin was murdered. Local residents told police that he was at his neighbour Nehal’s house when a firearm accidentally went off. We have found blood stains in Nehal’s house. The weapon, however, has not been recovered so far.”

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